The present invention is directed toward a communications device, and more particularly toward increasing efficiency of an antenna for a communications device.
A communications device, for example a cellular telephone, typically includes a front section and a rear section, the front and rear sections acting as a housing for a circuit board. The circuit board includes the control circuitry for the cellular telephone. The cellular telephone further includes an antenna coupled to the circuit board used for transmitting and receiving information to and from a cellular base station. Cellular telephones are usually powered by a battery, the negative terminal of which is the lowest point of potential for the cellular telephone. When transmitting information from the cellular telephone to the cellular base station, battery power is consumed and therefore the operational availability of the device is shortened.
In a cellular telephone, one or both of the front and rear sections have in some cases been conductive, that is made of or coated with a conductive material. Where one or both of the sections are conductive, the conductive sections have sometimes been unconnected from the point of lowest potential, and in other cases have been connected to the point of lowest potential via a circuit board trace located around an entire perimeter of the circuit board. When the section(s) are conductive and connected to the point of lowest potential by the perimeter trace, the conductive sections serve as a ground plane for the antenna, aiding in the transmission and reception of information from and to the cellular telephone. However, antenna efficiency is not optimized. A less efficient cellular telephone antenna causes more battery power to be consumed when transmitting information to the cellular base station. Because battery power is limited, it is desirable to increase the efficiency of the antenna.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problem discussed above.